1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and control method therefor that allow unfinished image processing to be transferred.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, techniques have been proposed for displaying video content obtained from broadcasting and the like, with the video content subjected to an image-quality enhancing process such as improvement of resolution. Such image-quality enhancing process is generally carried out as a real-time process during display.
At the same time, recorders provided with high-capacity storage devices, such as HDD recorders, have recently been spreading, and processor capability provided in the recorders has also been improved. In response to such a background, non-real-time image-quality enhancing processes have also been carried out in which a period of time for which a processor of a recorder has sufficient capability is utilized to enhance the image quality of video content stored in a storage device.
In the case of carrying out a non-real-time image-quality enhancing process, because no one knows when requests to view content to be subjected to the image-quality enhancing process comes about, it is believed to be better to complete the image-quality enhancing process as soon as possible. However, in a case in which a non-real-time image-quality enhancing process is carried out only when a processor load is low, the image-quality enhancing process is not able to be easily completed if the processor capability continues to remain insufficient due to other processes.
For example, it is assumed that a non-real-time image-quality enhancing process is carried out in a television receiver (hereinafter, referred to simply as TV) equipped with a storage device. A processor of the TV is required to continuously carry out processes with large loads, such as creation of a display screen from a data stream received, during viewing of a program. Therefore, the non-real-time image-quality enhancing process is not able to be carried out during viewing of the program, and it is thus difficult to reduce the processing time.
On the other hand, there are known techniques in which, in a case in which multiple image processing apparatuses are connected to each other, the image processing is shared among the apparatuses. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-165814, the image quality is prevented from being degraded in a printing system in which a digital camera that is capable of image processing is connected to a printer, by determining which image processing is carried out by each of the digital camera and the printer for images to be printed so that they both apply the same image processing.
In the prior art described above, it is possible to divide some types of image processing. However, no specific suggestions have been made on processing modes for dividing one particular type of image processing, that is, a processing mode in which an unfinished process carried out by one apparatus is taken over and carried out by another apparatus.